Trying To Move On
by The Pirate Illusionist
Summary: Sequel to Things Seem To Change. Seven months off the island. Can they just survive their old lives? Or will everything that happen start to conflict together?
1. 7 Months Off The Island

**Disclaimer: **I do not own LOST or any of its characters, though I wish I did.

Title: Trying to Move On  
By: The Pirate Illusionist  
A/N: Sequel to Things Seem to Change. This story has Charlie/Claire with Jack(Don't worry Kate will be in flashbacks!) and Sayid/Shannon.

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The rain pattered down on the busy streets of Los Angeles. Everything was drenched, from car seats whose owners left the windows open to the people who were walking the street. This didn't matter to Jack Shepard. He was safely inside of his own home, just waking up to a baby's cry. Nikki was now at least seven months old and could scream like a banshee. Jack groaned as his eyelids flickered open. He rubbed them and looked at the clock by his bed. It read eight in the morning. Nikki had had a good night, so that meant he would have to change her diaper and get her a bottle. The screaming continued and he rolled out of bed. He walked to his daughter's nearby room and held her close. 

"It's ok, Nick," he whispered to her.

Nikki cooed as he changed her diaper. He carried her down stairs and warmed up a bottle. As he fed her, he wished that Kate was there. Then, he wouldn't have to do this alone. Nikki would grow up and have no mother and he didn't want that. He really didn't know what to do about it. His thoughts drifted to the island as sat down with his daughter.

_"Look, Jack. The baby will come before you finish that hut," a pregnant Kate said._

_Jack held in his hands a salvaged hammer and some nails. The sun beat down on the island, making him sweat. He smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, Kate. It'll be done. I'm just a busy man."_

_"You can't make time for this?"_

_"I'm the only doctor."_

_"Well, you should have let me build my own hut."_

_"I can't have that while you are pregnant. You should take it easy. You could hurt our child."_

_"Okay, if the hut isn't done, where will the baby live?"_

_"The doctor's tent."_

_She laughed. "I want our baby to have something better than that."_

The baby would have something better than that if she was only alive. These thought always plagued his mind. Sighing, he put the bottle down and burped Nikki. He wondered how everyone else was getting along. The phone started to ring and he answered.

"Hello? Jack Shepard speaking," he said.

"It' Walt," a child's voice came from the other end.

"Walt? What do you need?"

"Can I come and stay?"

"I thought you were living with your step-father."

"Bryan put me in a foster home. My foster dad said he would fly me over to your house if you let me stay there. I don't like it here. It's horrible. You were the only one I could find in the phone book."

Jack thought over it. "Sure you can come stay."

"Okay. I'll be there and a day or so," Walt said and he hung up.

Jack put the phone down slowly. He thought about calling Charlie but he didn't know the time zones over there. He put Nikki in a bouncy chair and logged onto the computer. He looked up Charlie's phone number and came up with Liam's instead. He grabbed the phone as Nikki waved her fists in the air. He dialed the number and it started to ring.

"Hello," a tired voice came from the other line.

"Charlie?" Jack asked.

"Jack! How are you, man?"

"Okay. Just wanting to talk to someone from the island. Walt had just called me."

"Really, why?"

"Needs a place to stay."

"Oh."

"How are you?"

"Could be better."

"How's Claire."

"I have no clue," Charlie muttered.

"Why don't you know?"

"She's not here."

"Why?"

"Her mum took her seven months ago. We haven't seen each other since and haven't planned the wedding yet."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. You should probably go find her."

"Yeah, I know. I thought she would call me if she wanted me. I guess not."

"She probably just doesn't have a chance to."

"Yeah. Well...I think I'll do that. Thanks, Jack."

"No problem, Charlie."

They started to talk about the island and all sorts of things. Their talks drifted to Sayid and wondering how him and Shannon were. Soon, Charlie thanked Jack again and said he had to go. Jack put down the phone and looked at Nikki who had fallen asleep. He smiled at the little baby and thought about calling Sayid and Shannon but he thought it best just to watch some TV for now. He would call them later when he had something to talk about. He just hoped that they were getting along much better than him and Charlie.

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A/N: This chapter is just the set up. Next chapter will set up for Sayid and Shannon probably. Or maybe Claire.I'm not sure yet. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. R&R! 


	2. Freedom

Disclaimer: I do not own LOST.

A/N: I had created this chaptertwelve days ago and recieved a review saying about things that were unclear. I went back and reread it and saw that it was so horrible I took it out. It was a Shannon/Sayid chapter and I decided to re-write it and make it a Claire chapter. R&R!

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Claire bit her lip as she leaned out into the hall. "C'mon mum. Go to sleep," she muttered. 

Ty rolled in his crib, muttering in his sleep. Claire pushed a blonde lock of hair out of her eyes and watched the light from under her mother's door. She needed to escape this place. Tonight was the night she was going to take Ty and leave. For the past seven months, everything had rushed by her quickly. She hadn't had time to leave. Her mum always kept constant watch on her. It was like she was a teenager again. She closed her eyes and laid her hand on her swollen belly.  
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_"Okay, mum. Why did you call me in here?" Claire asked as she stood in the living room. Her mother was treating her like a child._

_Her mum looked up at her. "When did that happen?" she asked angrily, pointing at the swelling belly of Claire's._

_"On the island."_

_"How long did you think you were going to hide it?"_

_"As long as I could."_

_"It's pretty evident now," her mother spat. "So, it's that rock star's child?"_

_"Yes, mum. It's his child. Why would it be Thomas's? I got pregnant on the island!"_

_"How do you know you were pregnant there?"_

_"I had the same symptoms I had with Ty."_

_Her mum stared at her, fuming. "Well, we'll just have to tell Thomas the baby is his."_

_Claire looked appalled. "I want this baby to be Charlie's."_

_"Shush...You're not going to see him."_

_"Why am I not seeing Thomas?"_

_"He's on a trip."  
_-----------  
She hadn't seen Thomas for months now. He's been away for a long time. She had figured out that Thomas and her mum had planned to get rich off her and her son. They had teamed up. She was expecting them to turn on each other sometime. Claire leaned back out into the hall. The light of her mother's room had flickered off and now she would only wait a few more minutes. Claire turned back to her son in the semi-darkness and walked over to her son. She smiled sadly at him. Every day, he was always crying for Charlie. Now, they were running away and she knew she couldn't go there. Her mother would directly turn to Charlie's place. It wasn't that hard to find if you had a phone book and watched TV. She planted a kiss on Ty's head and picked him up. After wrapping him in a blanket, she grabbed her duffel bag and tiptoed down the hallway. She carefully climbed down the stairs and opened the door. The door squeaked and she quickly ran out of it and shut it. She knew her mum had heard the door and soon would be there. Claire ran as best she could for being about nine months pregnant, carrying a sleeping child, and carrying a duffel bag. She found her car, putting Ty in the car seat and throwing her duffel bag in the back. She slammed that door and climbed in the driver's side. She needed to get as far away as possible. She started the car and took off. She headed towards the airport.

"Mummy?" Ty asked sleepily.

"We're leaving grandmum's house. We're going to...Uncle Jack's for now," she said to the little boy.

"Dada?"

She let out a sigh. "We can't go there. Grandmum would know. We'll see him soon."

Ty nodded and the baby started to drift back to sleep. Claire now knew where she was going. Jack's and she wasn't even invited. She pulled up to the airport and ran out of the car with her son and duffel bag. She had looked ahead of time and found a plane leaving then. Holding her tickets, she stood in line. She hoped it would move faster and then, freedom. Her and Ty would be free of her mum. She showed the stewardess the two tickets and headed towards the plane. She found a seat and tried to put her bag up in the overhead compartment. She couldn't reach but she kept on trying. Someone pushed her bag up into the compartment.

"Thanks..." she muttered softly.

"Yeah, no problem," said the person.

The man had an English accent. She could only hope it was Charlie. She turned to look at the man. She let out a sigh and sat down in her seat. He sat in the seat next to her.

"What's the problem?" the man asked.

"I just thought you were someone," she said. She felt as if she was about to cry.

"Hm...Really? Well, I'm Liam Pace," he said to her.

"Pace? You're Charlie's brother!" she blurted out.

"How do you know Charlie? Wait...you must be that woman Charlie wanted to take with him."

"Yeah. I'm Claire. Where's Charlie?" she asked, getting excited.

"He got on the flight ahead of me."

"Oh..." Claire said, sounding disappointed.

"You can probably see him in LA. We're meeting some of our old band mates there. He swore that he just wanted to see them again. Hadn't seen them since we disbanded."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Claire said, flashing Liam a smile.

After that, they fell into a silence, not really talking. Claire played with the ring on her left hand. She really wanted to take it off and she knew she should, but it would feel empty. That ring had been there for almost six months. Once she got to America, she would take it off. She would probably get divorce papers signed. She never really wanted to marry Thomas. Her mum forced her into it and there was nothing she could do about it. It wasstrange to her. When she was with her mum, she felt like a slave. She was always told what to do and kept under watch. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt the plane touch down to the ground.

Liam handed Claire a piece of paper and went to get her bag. "That's the hotel and room number we're staying at."

"Thank you! You don't know how much this means to me," she said, taking her bag and picking up her son.

She said good bye to Liam as she climbed into a taxi. She pulled out a folded piece of paper. She told the driver the address and he drove her towards the house. She bit her lip as they pulled up to the big house. Getting out, she paid the driver. Ty clung tightly to her and stared up with wide eyes at the house. She adjusted her bag and walked towards it nervously. She let out a heavy sigh and knocked. She heard footsteps and the door opened.

"Claire?" Jack asked as he leaned on the door.

"Jack, can I come in? I'll explain everything once I'm in," she said quickly.

"Sure," he said and he moved out of the door to allow her to come in. He was a little confused but he knew she had to be in some sort of trouble. Why else would she had come? He felt like his house was becoming a little like the island. Everyone just wanted to gather here. He had just recieved Walt about two hours ago. He closed the door with a sigh and followed Claire into the living room.

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A/N: There is the second chapter. I hope it is alright...it's not the best I could do, but I have writer's block. It was about all I could come up with. Well...R&R!


	3. Sleepover at Jack's

**Disclaimer: I do not own LOST...**

A/N: I was having a bit of trouble with this one. Now it is up. Sorry it took me so long. I hope it is not as bad as I think it is. It is kinda short. I didn't intend it to be this short but that seemed like an okay place to let it off.

* * *

Claire sat Ty on the floor and Walt came over and sat with the little boy. She put her duffel bag on the floor as well as she sat in a chair. Jack sat on the couch across from her and he just stared at her. She probably looked like a mess. She couldn't go see Charlie like this. She let the thoughts drift to the back of her mind as Jack began to talk. 

"Claire, what brings you here?" he asked.

"I escaped from my mum's and came here."

"Why not Charlie's?"

"Mum would have went there first. Besides, I met his brother on the plane and he told me he was in LA already."

"Really? Did Charlie ever call you?"

"Not that I know of. My mum intercepted all of my calls. I don't know who called me or when. I do know that Shannon had called me once. I got to the phone before my mum."

Jack nodded. "So, you want to stay here for a while?"

"Yes. Can I?"

"Sure," he said standing up to get his daughter.

"Jack, I have a question."

"What is it?" he asked as he turned back to her.

"Are you taking care of Walt?"

"Yeah. He called me and asked," Jack said as he walked away.

Claire looked down at her son as she played with the piece of paper in her hands. She didn't know when she should go see him. She should clean up first and get Ty dressed in clothes instead of the pajamas he was in. But then again, she wanted to see Charlie so bad, she didn't think she could wait. Walt sat there, playing with Ty.

"Miss Claire, you shouldn't go there," Walt said, not even looking up.

This startled her. She didn't know how the boy would know this. She decided she would play along."Why not?"

"Someone you know will try to take you back."

"Who? My mum?"

"No. Some man."

She didn't know who the boy could be talking about but then she remembered. "Thomas...but...I...how?"

He shrugged. "I have no clue. It just isn't safe."

Claire just nodded, not really sure of what she should do. Jack walked in with Nikki and the phone started to ring. Shifting her, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Jack asked as he sat down.

"I'm such a bloody scumbag."

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you saying that?"

"I never called her. I chickened out and I just did and her mum started yell and scream."

"Where are you?"

"LA. What made you ask?"

"No reason. Can you come to my house?"

"Uh...sure. No problem."

"Good."

"You haven't heard from Claire, have you?"

"Um...Not yet. I'm sure she is just fine. When can you come?"

"I'll be there soon."

"Okay. See you then, Charlie," Jack said, hanging up.

Claire looked over at Jack. "He's coming here?"

"Yeah. He is."

Claire nodded. "Good. That is good."

"I'll watch Ty if you want to go and get ready."

"Thank you so much."

Claire left to freshen up, leaving Jack with the children. Walt was still on the floor with Ty and Nikki was cooing in Jack's arms. About two minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Jack went to get it. He answered the door as he shifted Nikki in his arms. Who he saw was not Charlie but Sawyer smirking at him.

"Hey Doc. How's it goin'?" Sawyer asked.

"What are you doing here, Sawyer?" Jack asked back with a glare.

"Can't I visit ya?"

"Why would you?"

He shrugged. "I need a place to stay and I was in town."

"There is no room. Go find a hotel."

"Who else do you have in this big house?"

"Claire, Ty, Walt, Nikki and myself."

"Having a sleepover, Doc? One more won't hurt, will it?"

"Sawyer..." he warned.

"What would Freckles think if you didn't let me in the house?"

Jack looked away as he tried to compose himself again. "She would tell you to get lost."

Sawyer just smirked. "Oh really? I think she would have let me it."

"No, she wouldn't have. There are too many people at my house. You can find someone else to bug."

He scowled. "Fine."

Jack slammed the door shut before Sawyer even started to walk away. As Jack turned around, there was another knock on the door. He sighed and muttered something unders his breath before pulling open the door.

"Sawyer...I told you to get..." he stopped in midway.

Charlie stood there, looking confused. "Can I come?"

"Sure. Come in." He moved out of the way to let Charlie in.


End file.
